Firefly
by Kaori Ishida
Summary: Harry Potter is known in the entire magic world, and when he reaches 11 years everybody is expecting great things from the young wizard, the only problem is that he is only interested in freedom, oh! And don t call him Harry Potter, his name is Portgas D. Ace, and he is a pirate. Challenge from TheBlackSeaReaper.
1. Book 1 Chapter 1 - The boy who lived

Disclaimer: One Piece and Harry Potter does not belong to me, each belongs to their respective author. This fic is not intended to make money, but be a recreational way to practice English and develop creativity.

Challenge by TheBlackSeaReaper.

**Firefly**

He could hear screams around him that overshadowed a distant voice that whisperer his name again and again, before finally releasing a scream.

He could feel his body burning while his arms and legs quickly froze. He did not remember what he was doing before or what had he said, but he feel in peace, and in completely calm, smiling in that vast obscurity, before an intense green light blind him.

(Scene Break)

_-.- The boy who lived_

Harry Potter snapped awake, his head ached, more specifically the scar on his forehead, an interesting line-shaped lightning bolt, which recently hurt every time he was dreaming and the dream ended with a green light. He had no idea what could this be, his dreams were usually related to the sea, ships and exciting fights against persons in white sailor suits, but the green light always came out of nowhere, just after the strange feeling that his body was freezing.

A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts.

"Are you up?" demanded a sharp voice.

"Yes" the child replied with annoyance.

"Do not answer me in that tone."

"Yes, Aunt Petunia" replied without changing the tone a bit. This time his answer was a brisk walk down the aisle.

The boy glanced at a shelf next to the bed where a spider was resting quietly.

"You're so lucky to not have to endure her all day."

Harry Potter lived with his uncle since he could remember, He knew that at the age of one, he had been abandoned at the door of the house, to be a burden to his uncle ... or so they told him constantly along with the story of how his parents died in a car accident, and Harry had been the only survivor, being left in the care of his mother's sister.

Harry hated his parents as much as he hated his uncle, but he hated them mainly to leave him and die in a really silly way, otherwise he would not be living with his uncle and bearing the people who said he was an orphan and that he better has not been born for being the son of a monster.

That thought made him stop, his hand still on the doorknob. Where had that thought come from? He had never experienced anything like that before; people just said he was an orphan, not everything else.

"Hurry. Breakfast is not done alone."

Reason number 7 for why he hated his relatives: They treated him as a slave. He did all the household chores, so he usually spends most of his time outside the house. His room was the cupboard under the stairs; probably the only thing missing was a shackle in his neck and a mark on the back.

A shiver crossed his body at the thought of a mark of a dragon claw in the back. Where that idea did came from? Today he really had very strange thoughts. Although a big ¨ D ¨ on his back did not bother him at all.

Upon entering the kitchen, Aunt Petunia gave him a pan full of bacon. "Don´t burn it."

"Of course not" said the child as he raised the intensity of the fire.

After breakfast, and being forced to eat all the burned bacon, his aunt told him to clean the kitchen. He had no other option to that. He was ending when a thud was heard in the kitchen, and soon after Dudley entered only to find Harry asleep on his feet, his head leaning against a wall and in his hands a still mopping stick. Dudley's face lit up, though this happened to Harry often, opportunities like this were unique, because normally Harry fell asleep in class or while Dudley was not at home, or when Harry was not. Without further Dudley went over and gave a direct blow to Harry in the face, knocking him to the floor.

Dudley burst out laughing as he left the house through the back door of the garden, and Harry sat up slowly. It was a fortune that Dudley had already left, otherwise he could have seen in Harry a murderous expression while small flames emerging from his shoulders.

Harry quickly finished store everything and rushed out of the house, before they could leave him another task. He was tempted to follow Dudley, but a part of him prevented him, the part that told him of the consequences if he did it. Finally decided that no matter what happened, he would better handle his own affairs, and so Harry took his own path.

Then, maybe he should have followed Dudley, walking aimlessly, someone started to follow him, he did not know for what purpose he did it, but after many twists and complicated ways, the little white dog was still following him. It was small, young perhaps a year or two at most, white but with all the dust, dirt and mud, he looked gray and brown. His face was completely childish, even silly with that tongue out. Something about this dog was driving Harry mad, only by seeing the dog he could feel a strange desperation to act.

"Go away" said the child, to which the dog responded with an angry comical bark. Yes, this dog annoyed him more at every moment.

Harry kept walking. It was strange to walk and know that someone was behind you. Normally no one wanted to be near Harry, the orphan who lived with his uncles and had a strange scar on his forehead. Harry hated that scar, his aunt had told him that it had in the accident in which his parents had died, so maybe that´s why he hated it so much, but this was not the only scar, Harry had a more or maybe you could say that he had two more scars. The two were quite similar; one was on his chest, and another on the back. Harry said that this looked like a sun, and it was not like he liked it, but this scar caused him some sort of pride, as if it was proving something important to him. His uncle told him that he got it in the accident too, but Harry had not believed him, if it had he would have died at the fragile age of one.

It was not strange that the Dursleys did not care of Harry, and his cousin knew he had priority over Harry. Dudley had always used anybody lower than him as punching bag; Harry was no exception, until one day at school: Harry, tired, replied the hit. It was such a blow that Dudley's eye turned purple and swelled so unusual for a kids fight.

Aunt Petunia almost fainted when she saw his little angel that way, Uncle Vernon beat Harry so badly that he could not move for several hours, but at school no one looked at Harry the same, most saw it with fear and no one wanted to go near him. Dudley meanwhile continued using him as punching bag, knowing that Harry was aware of what would happen if he try to fight back, the trouble was that Harry was very clever and when he saw his cousin approached with intent to fight, just scurried out the place, not that Harry liked the idea.

Harry looked back, it seemed that among the many turns he had lost the dog, and just in time, he thought as he fell asleep again, this time in the middle of a park. This was normal, happening at least once a day, anytime, anywhere. It happens without warning at all, to the point that it seemed that he had fallen dead, but he was actually asleep. A school nurse had called narco-something Harry had not learned the name and his uncles, not caring at all, had not to take him to a proper doctor. The teachers scold him every time it happened at school, to the delight of Dudley. Aunt Petunia repressed him when she received notices from teachers and when he fell asleep in the middle of lunch, and despite all the scolding, Harry could not do anything about it.

Something wet in her ear woke him, he opened his eyes he found a large and bright black eyes watching him intently. "Luffy?" His answer was a sharp bark. No, Not Luffy, definitely. But that starters him, Who was Luffy? "And you are still here?" He reprimanded the dog.

Guau

"Why do not you go away?" His response was a little moan.

"Do not have were to go?" Another moan

"Is it easier for you if I'm here?"

Guau

"Is it hard without me?"

Guau

"You ... you want me to live?"

Guau guau

Harry felt strange, as if this was not the first time that this happened. No, Luffy had said the same thing, of course, in different ways but why now did not feel the curiosity to ask: who was Luffy? In his mind he could see the blur image of his brother ... Brother? Yes, his brother, his younger brother. But where was his brother?

"Potter, Did you have sweet dreams?" And there came Dudley, followed by all his gang.

"Go away, I have no time to deal with you" He had to find Luffy, Where had he last seen?

"Look, Potter woke up feeling brave." So focused was Ace that he did not realize there was a blow coming to him, leaving him on the floor. It was the second time that day.

"Stop calling me Potter!" he exclaimed as he rose and a tiny white ball was placed in front of him.

"Look, Potter has a new friend," said Piers Polkiss, one of Dudley´s friends as he reached out to take the dog, only to be beaten by Ace before getting close enough. The others rushed to Ace that began dealing blows right and left. He had no time for this, he had to protect the dog and find Luffy, the last time he had seen him had been in Marineford, what happened there?

Dudley was the first to flee as he could, immediately follow by the other, while Ace dropped himself back into the grass.

Sure, he remembered, he had died in Marineford, or so he thought. Luffy had stayed there, while he had to relive his childhood.

The dog came quickly and was there when Ace first noticed the collar around the dog's neck. Ace sat heavily before deciding to return the puppy.

Return the puppy was not so hard; the owner was very friendly and even gave him a small reward. Now what followed seemed to be more complicated. All these years he had lived with the Dursleys because he didn´t had another choose, but now he remembered all his life, the thought of living alone seemed the best idea of all his new short life.

Before he could come up with a plan, Ace was already in Privet Drive and Vernon violently pushed him inside the house and then threw a hit, which never reached its target as Ace dodged and returned without much skill. Being small again was complicated.

"Insolent brat" the man shouted from the floor "How dare you hit me and my son?"

"You two were the ones who started it."

Uncle Vernon's face turned red with anger: "I should throw you to the street..."

"Oh, do not worry," interrupted Ace. "I was going anyway" and so he left the house.

Any place was better than this.


	2. B1 Chapter 2 - Letters for no one

Disclaimer: One Piece and Harry Potter does not belong to me, each belongs to their respective author.

Challenge by TheBlackSeaReaper.

Beta: TheBlackSeaReaper (like in chapter 1)

-:- Letters for no one.

Nobody in Privet Drive saw Harry Potter again. While on the roads of England a new boy arrived, he called himself Ace D. Portgas, and there was no worse threat in the nation than him.

A year after his arrival he had robbed stores, handbags, and been chased by cops so many times that he had lost count.

He slept anywhere, forest, park, hotel, whatever. Even though he usually fell asleep without warning, in the middle of the street.

He ate in restaurants and then took advantage of his small size to leave the place without paying.

He spent a long time exploring and fighting anyone that crossed his path. It was like going back to the Grey Terminal, with the difference that each place was different. He liked going to the woods where he hunted and fished for food. The rest of the time he searches for adventure.

It would be a lie to say that he had decided to forget his past life, because although he tried not to think about what had become of Oyaji, Marco and Luffy he had set the goal to return to the life of a pirate. It did not matter that the pirates had gone out of fashion a couple of centuries ago, he wanted to live the life of the absolute freedom that he and his brothers had always wanted. The plan was the same: Save money and become strong from here to his 17 years, and then set sail.

In one way or another, Ace did not wanted to forget his life in the Grand Line while on the other hand he wanted to forget completely his life as Harry Potter.

Since he left that day Privet Drive, Ace returned to his name, D and the surname of his mother, what happened before that day did not exist. His biological parents were not Lily and James Potter, they were Rouge and Roger (although he still didn't like the man), his brothers were: Luffy, Sabo and all Whitebeard Pirates and his father was Whitebeard. He didn´t need anything else.

So could pass the rest of the days but then there could not be an interesting story, and so came the day that Ace, when he return to his improvised camp in the forest, on his backpack he found something out of place: A letter.

What was a letter doing there? Who knows, but whoever has sent it, this person, until Ace know what his intentions were, he would consider him a threat.

Once he opened and read it, Ace looked up. There was the method of arrival of the letter: A large brown owl on a branch.

He turned his eye to the letter, a letter of acceptance to a school, a school he had never applied. How had they found his information? How had they found where he was? He looked up at the owl that had been settled and seemed to say: "Yes you received a letter, now answer, I don´t have all day." If this owl was similar to the seagulls who delivered the paper in the Grand Line, then there was lot of sense in how they had found him. But that did not answer the question of why this school was accepting him? The letter was addressed to Mr. Potter. The only people who knew Harry Potter were the Dursleys, but the Dursleys had never tried to find him, he had verified the lists of missing children, one day when he had let been caught by the police, and Harry Potter was not on the list. On addition, the Dursleys would not bother to send him to a good school. He had only to see the paper, the letter, the shield of the school and the way it was write the letter, to see it was certainly a good school, most likely a rich boy's school.

Ace then imagined a place like Mariejois or Marineford, full of children of nobles, princes and princesses. Not exactly the place that Sabo would like to be with all those rules.

Yeah, definitely he was not going to go there, plus you do not have money for that.

He looked back at the owl, now sleep, tired of waiting. There was no point in waking her now, he would let her sleep and when she wake up tell her to leave. If no response was received they would think he has not been found.

In addition, Mr. Potter did not exist.

(Scene Break)

Whoever was this school, they were really interested in him going to ... Hogwarts.

At the end of the week, Ace was torn between sending the letter saying. "Mr. Potter does not live here," and do nothing. After changing city three times the letters kept coming.

By now he had read the letter at least forty times and this out of boredom, but also seeking any information, aside from the obvious, after all Marco always said that knowledge was power and better know your enemy before they attack you.

He knew the name of the director and he must be someone important, although the title "Order of Merlin 1st class" meant nothing, it could be a title of nobility, though it sounded more like an order of knighthood. The regular mail did not reach that place; probably that's why they used owls.

So far everything seems normal, or at least a bit. It was the list of books and equipment where everything became odd. Either this was a very bad joke, or was real and this was really a magic school, which was not impossible, especially after being in the Grand Line and see many strange things, he was a strange thing in fact, he could burst into flames and stay alive ... even worse he had died, had been reborn (or so it seemed) and still could use his Mera-Mera Fruit without any problem.

With the passing of days, Ace began to wonder what kind of stuff would teach at a place like Hogwarts. There was the matter of the wand; he was really intrigued with this subject that after a move and say funny words something impossible happen. The letter spoke of a cauldron, so they possibly teach them to make potions. It was mentioned that the first graders could not bring brooms. For what they would use the broom? Do they really would fly with it?

On the twelfth night after the first letter arrived, Ace quietly slept in an abandoned house when he was awakened by a loud voice: "Harry, Harry Potter!" Ace, lumbered completely asleep to the window, a man walked down the street near the house screaming. "Harry!"

"Urusai!" Said Ace "some of us are trying to sleep."

The man immediately looked from side to side before looking up and fixes his little black eyes on the window of the second floor and the eleven year old boy who was watching from above. "Oh! Harry did not expect you to be there, sorry if I woke you. Not seen you since you were a baby, you've grown. "

Who the hell was this man? He called him Harry, indicating that he had met Ace where he was just a baby and possibly before the Dursleys.

When Ace manages to awake fully, the man was no longer in the entrance and he could hear footsteps on the floor below. As fast as he could, Ace grabs his metal-pipe and rush to the entrance. When he reached the entrance to the room, the man was entering the room. It was without doubt the biggest man he had seen so far, of course, in this world. Possibly it was the same height as Oyaji, or maybe a little smaller, it was difficult to know for his height of eleven.

"By the way, happy birthday" said the man "I brought you a small detail, but it crushed a little" and he took a box from his big coat and handed it to Ace.

The boy looked at the package, then the man, and finally the package. Carefully Ace grabbed the package, took a couple of steps back without taking his eyes off the man, and very carefully opened it, inside was a cake in green letters that read "Happy Birthday, Harry"

"Thank" murmured the boy reminding Makino lessons "but the name is Ace."

"Is not your name Harry Potter?" asked the disturbed giant.

"I go by the name of Ace D. Portgas now" he did not know why he had added the "now".

"Oh, well… Ace, if you prefer that" said the man somewhat dismayed.

"Sorry, who are you?" Yes, Makino could be definitely proud.

"True, I haven't introduced myself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

... Hogwarts...

"Ah! The school of the letters."

"Then you got the letter, we were worried that you had not received it. You must already know all about Hogwarts."

This was the time and Ace knew it, he didn't need to be a genius to see the immense admiration the man felt for the school and having a job at the famous institution, he must know everything, Ace only had to say the correct words to know everything he wanted to know.

"Yes, it's just a school" he said as if it was not important, and then turned to let the cake on the floor.

"Only a school? But Hogwarts is not just a school"

"Well, that's what I know" said Ace in his best child's voice. Had had to get some advantage of this troublesome form.

The man, Hagrid, was incredulous. "You mean you do not know anything about anything? Nothing of Hogwarts or our world?" Those words made Ace's heart stop briefly.

"World?" And if the Grand Line was that world.

"Yes" Exclaimed the man "Wait ... Where are the Dursleys?"

"I do not know" said Ace firing an improvised campfire, and then take out from the backpack something to eat. "I Have not seen them in year." he heard a slight TUM, Hagrid had dropped himself on the floor. Maybe he will need something stronger for the man.

"They abandoned you" he said in a small voice.

"More like they kicked me of the house" That was not the best answer, thought Ace as the giant fists tightened. "And I accepted gladly" said as calm as possible.

"When I get my hands on them. Imaging: Harry Potter ..."

"Ace D. Portgas" murmured the child.

"... without knowledge of our world, I mean, you're famous, your parents were famous and living in ..."

Hagrid raised his arms to refer the room, trying to find a word to describe the place.

"Actually I have no stable place to live" said Ace, just so Hagrid shiver further at the thought of a little Harry wandering around the country.

Meanwhile Ace meditated again the word "world", and now Hagrid had mentioned his parents, he didn´t know of his mother, but that excuse of a father, he had been famous ... enough to move many people to the sea, was it possible?

"Harry, I mean Ace" said Hagrid suddenly "you need to know this: "said the giant before breathing deeply while staring at Ace "Ace, you are a wizard."

The truth is that this was not what he expected. Ace imagining something like: "You come from another world" or "you are a reincarnation of the past", "this is just a dream", that would have been wonderful. But not that he was a wizard. He had heard many things in his life, but not the existence of wizards, even in the Grand Line he had not found evidence that there was something like that, maybe very bright scientists confounded by magicians on some islands, but nothing more.

"A wizard?" Repeated Ace, trying to fit the word on his tongue.

"Yes" said Hagrid, "and a very good one, with a little practice and with parents like yours."

"The Potter?"

"Yes, who else."

That discarded the possibility to return to the Grand Line, or to find his family in some way.

Hagrid continued "You know, you look just like your father, but you have your mother's eyes."

"I do not want hear about them" He felt bad, Ace felt bad, it was amazing how easy and fast hope could expanding someone. For a moment Ace tested the possibility of seeing Luffy again, or at least know what had become of him, but now...

"Why?" Hagrid asked in surprised.

"They kill themselves in a car crash and left me with the Dursleys" said while taking a bite of a sausage he had taken from his backpack. At this rate he would need something stronger.

"A CAR CRASH?" Roared Hagrid, as he stood up, almost colliding with the ceiling while Ace was pulled from his thoughts and reflexively prepared to fight, stretching his hand toward metal pipe "How would Lily and James Potter die in a car crash?" Yes it was definitely time for the sake "That's an outrage! A scandal!" Ace had pulled a bottle of sake and a glass from his backpack, where he served the liquid and passed it to Hagrid "Thank" muttered the giant before he continued "That Harry Potter...!"

"Ace D. Portgas"

"...do not know his own story, when every kid in our world knows his name" and after that took a long drink the glass.

"Every child?"

"Every child, youth and adult."

This was too much for Ace. "But why? What happened? What did they do?" exclaimed his little curiosity and the anger of Hagrid vanished as he finished with the contents of the glass.

"I never would have expected something like this" called out of concern while Ace served more sake. "I had no idea. When Dumbledore said I could have trouble getting to you, I thought it would only be to find you, no one had seen you with your uncles in a while; we thought you were still with them. I did not think it was at this point. Ace, I'm not the right person to tell you this, but someone has to. You cannot go to Hogwarts without knowing this."

Ace was going to open his mouth as if to say that he was not going to Hogwarts, but he wanted to know this.

Hagrid took a sip from the glass, while Ace gave a taste to the cake.

"I will tell you everything I can, because I cannot tell you everything. It is a great mystery, at least some of it."

He took a sip of the glass, watching the dancing fire that Ace had created.

"It begins, I suppose, with ... a person called ... but it's amazing you do not know his name, everyone in our world knows!"

"Who?"

"Well ... I do not like to say his name, if I can help. Nobody says it."

"Why?"

"Galloping gargoyles, Ace, people is still afraid."

"It's just a name ..."

"This is difficult," and took a sip "Look, there was a wizard who went ... bad, as bad as you can imagine. Worse than worse."

Ace said nothing that did not say anything, if you asked a civilian would tell you that the Marines were good and bad the pirates. If you asked a pirate, the Marines were the bad guys.

"People could not get out" Hagrid went quiet "people disappear every day, all who opposed him ended dead, were very dark days. Him...arg, he was called ..."

"Would you like to write it?"

"No, I don´t know how to write it" He returned to empty the glass as if he was searching courage in it. "Okay ... Voldemort."

"Voldemort?" What kind of name was that?

"Do not repeat it!" And a shot is over the glass that Ace had just served it "do not make me say it again. You see everyone is afraid."

"It's just a name" said again as he poured over the liquor in the glass. "But what has that to do with Potter, me and Voldemort."

"Do not say the name!" And sipped "Everybody call him You-know-who." Ace watched the man and all he could think was that this was immensely ridiculous. "Your parents, James and Lily, were the greatest wizard and witch of their year and obviously you-know-who tried to recruit them, but they refused and opposed him." There he stopped and began to sob. "I sorry, it is that to thinking that your parents, being such good people, what happened to them happened." from his coat pulled a handkerchief to blow his nose and then howled. "I'm sorry, you had only one year, and they were hiding from you-know-who and one October night he arrived at the house ... The house was destroyed, I had to remove the rubble and then took you with those people. If I had known I would have insisted more to Dumbledore of not leave you there. But that's why you're famous because you survived while many others do not, just with that scar on his forehead."

Ace was surprised, he remember that times of his childhood, in which the three brothers shouted to the four winds what they most wanted and Ace screamed that he could be famous so he would prove his existence. How ironic, in this world, he was just a year old and was already famous, famous for living, having survived where many had fallen, lived when the Potter had died, famous for something he did not remember, and did not know how he did it. Now Ace had a bad taste in the mouth, not proud of this, he was disgusted. One more reason to hate that damn scar on his forehead.

"What happened to Voldemort?"

Hagrid shivered "Nobody knows, some say he died, I do not think so, he is probably alive, weak, and hiding somewhere trying to regain his power." He took dramatically his glass to his lips ended it again. "Hey! This thing is very good."

Ace then meditated what happened, in addition to all; famous for defeating an evil wizard and he did not know how he did it. If was not satisfied with what happened, now less. And now that he was thinking how he could have done it, all he could think was that he had released the power of his Mera-Mera fruit, a lot of fire and this had saved Ace, defeating Voldemort, but then it was not magic, it was just his Devil Fruit doing what Devil Fruits normally do. In conclusion...

"I am not a wizard."

"Never made things happen when you were scared or angry? Something you cannot explain." The only thing that came to Ace´s mind was Haki, but he was sure that Hagrid did not mean that.

"See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard - you wait" Hagrid then lifted his glass "you'll be right famous at Hogwarts one of the best schools of magic in the world, learn spells and potions, magic plant, defense against the dark arts, about magical creatures, see the ghosts that live in the castle the extensive collection of pictures that move, shifting stairs, the Forbidden Forest. And study under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had: Albus Dum ... ble ... dor ..."

And there remained. Ace could not contain his laughter when Hagrid collapsed on the floor for so much alcohol.

He was a nice guy, and if everyone was like him at Hogwarts, the place could not be that bad, although there was the factor of being famous. Harry Potter, apparently, as Hagrid described it, was a hero: The boy who beat Voldemort.

Ace did not want to be a hero; he was a pirate, a pirate who seeking freedom and adventure, but it was the same adventure that called him to go. That last little drunk description of Hogwarts had raised his curiosity.

He could go, he could try and if he did not like it he could leave, as simple as that.

Without much encouragement, Ace adsorbed the fire sinking back the house in darkness, and brushing his hair he went back to the makeshift bed.

This was going to be a problem; his narcolepsy could not let him sleep for the rest of the night.


	3. B1 Chapter 3 - Diagon Alley

Yei! 101 followers, 73 Favorites, and 20 reviews. You do not know how happy that makes me! So thanks for all your support, even that small "pls update" or "love it" get me so excited, that I keep writing , even though I have a lot of work...

Disclaimer: One Piece and Harry Potter does not belong to me, each belongs to their respective author.

Challenge by TheBlackSeaReaper.

Beta: TheBlackSeaReaper

_-.-Diagon Alley_

Next morning Hagrid woke with a powerful headache. How irresponsible on his part, he told himself, he was send on an important mission and the first thing he did was drink.

His gaze tries to find out Harry. No, he told himself, not Harry, Ace.

Ace D. Portgas.

It was amazing to think that the boy had decided to change his name and to one as curious as that. What would that D mean?

Now with more calm, Hagrid looked well where the child lived, and could not help but be grateful that this was temporary, but worried about how the other places where he spent the night would be.

The house was falling apart, it was a fortune that it had not fallen already. A blanket and a backpack served as a makeshift bed, next to this was the culprit of Hagrid headache. The backpack was open revealing part of its contents: a compass resting next to a map, while still inside the backpack Hagrid could see a book of pages worn by use, with the title: "Treasure Island"

"Oh, you woke up," said a voice from the doorway.

"Oh, Ace, there you are" said Hagrid, and that's when he could observed Ace closely.

According to Dumbledore's sources, the boy was the spitting image of James Potter, or at least that was a year ago. Ace D. Portgas was a thin child, with small green eyes that reflected a completely opposite view of Lily Potter, Ace's gaze was hard and always seemed with furrowed brow, his forehead was broad and on one side you could see the lightning-shaped scar that made him famous, that was slightly covered by a few strands of hair. Ace's hair was a funny thing, it was longer than Hagrid had imagined, it was wavy, and fell on both sides of his face parted in the center of his head. He also had freckles on his cheeks. How was that the child had freckles when neither parent had them? That was a great mystery.

But it was not the little resemblance to James and Lily that had surprised Hagrid.

Ace that morning was wearing shorts and boots, wearing no shirt on, so his chest and back was completely uncovered. There, as clear as water, was a sun-shaped scar, it was large and took up most of his chest, the center was almost red and on the edges it was a dark pink.

Ace moved towards Hagrid "Today's there is fish for breakfast" said the boy holding out four small fish that was carrying on his back and were now cooked.

Hagrid didn't look at the fish, his eyes remained fixed on the scar of Ace.

"Ace, where did you got that scar?"

Ace just looked down and took his free hand to the mark on his chest. For a moment he recalled those moments when he did not thought and just acted. Luffy's eyes were perfectly imprinted in his memory. Ace slowly looked up and with a big D-smile told Hagrid. "I've always had it."

"Oh well" and realizing the fish Hagrid took the food that was offered "Did you have breakfast?"

"Yeah, a while ago"

"Then I'll hurry, we have many things to do today: We have to go to buy your equipment."

"Just let me get dressed."

Hagrid gazed after the boy; in his back he had a scar similar to the one on his chest. Hagrid did not like it at all.

Ace meanwhile, tried not to think of Hagrid's eyes fixed on his back, or the memory of how he acquired that scar.

Once dressed in a sleeveless shirt, like those he used as a child ... in his other life , Ace noted the money he had saved and looked back at Hagrid, while placing gauze over the scar of his forehead. "Hagrid, how much money will I need? Because I don't have a lot." He could always steal some on the way, but he doubted that he could do so accompanying by Hagrid.

"Do not worry, Ace" said Hagrid "you do not think your parents would leave you with nothing."

"The Potters? But the house ..."

"Your parents did not keep their gold in the house; they kept it in Gringotts, the wizarding bank."

"Wizards have banks?"

"Only one and it's Gringotts, it's directed by Goblins"

Only one bank, all the gold of the magic community in a single bank, but...

"Goblins?"

"Yes, one would have to be crazy to try to steal Gringotts"

Oh, was this a challenge?

(Scene Break)-.-

Hagrid took Ace to the train station. While they wait, Hagrid pulled out a newspaper, which he began to read.

Meanwhile, Ace, bored, began to create small fire rings with mouth then let them rise to the sky.

"Why should one be crazy to rob Gringotts?" Ace asked after think hard on the matter...

"Spells, Ace, Charms" said changing the page "They say there are dragons guarding maximum security values. Plus you have to know the way; Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, well below the subway. Would die of hunger trying to get out, even if you had managed to steal something."

Ace considered the information. The food was no problem, even underground there was always something to hunt, the problem here was...

"Dragons? Do you really exist?" Even in the Grand Line they were a myth.

"Of course there exist" he said as he let out a sigh "I wish I had a dragon."

"A pet dragon?"

"Yes, I wanted one as child." And he returned the view to the newspaper.

Ace then again got lost in thought. The dragon was not an issue; with his Mera-Mera fruit it would be easy to stop them.

"The Minister of Magic is confusing things" Hagrid said "as always."

"Minister of Magic?"

"Yes, and it's the worst we've had. They wanted Dumbledore to be minister but he refused to leave Hogwarts, so they put Fudge in charge."

"And what is supposed to do a Minister of Magic?"

"Well, their main job is to prevent muggles to know that there are still witches and wizards across the country."

"Muggles?"

"Not magical people."

After that, the train that would take them to London arrived. Everyone watched them and that was expected, with Hagrid being twice a normal person height and pointing to things totally common.

"The things that Muggles invent" he murmured, only to find Ace with his head drooped back and mouth open, completely asleep. Thinking it was his fault for not sleeping the night before, Hagrid let the boy.

(Scene Break)-.-

Ace woke up just before reaching their destination in London. Hagrid, not wanting to awake him up, had carried him from the train, on the subway, to the crowded street full of shops.

Ace had never been to London, but simply watching the shops and people he could imagine they would not find the material on the list easily. But there was another thing that intrigued him: and that was the same Hagrid.

Ace was not sure what was what made him so confident of Hagrid, after all Hagrid was a stranger, but still could not help but follow him.

"The Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place. "

Ace entered the room, followed by Hagrid; of famous this place had nothing. Instead it was dark and sinister, but the style of the place was that of a classic bar of the Great Line, and Ace liked it.

By habit, Ace advanced to the bar where the bartender was stretching for a glass.

"The usual, Hagrid?"

"Can't, Tom" Hagrid said, touching his head "I'm on Hogwarts business"

The bartender looked down at Ace, which was curiously watching the place.

"He comes to buying his equipment?"

"That is right."

Tom and Hagrid continued talking, while Ace carefully watching place. Where could they sell wands and cauldrons?

"Are you hurt?" Asked a voice trembling, getting Ace out of his thoughts "Blows on the head can be very dangerous. Let me check you. "

Ace could not see the man who had appeared next to him, and took his hand to the boy's forehead where the gauze covered the scar.

"Do not worry, it's nothing" exclaimed becoming back, falling from the bank in the process and leaving the gauze in the hand of the strange.

"Good Lord" muttered Tom

The view of everyone in the bar was on Ace or more specifically in the lightning-shaped scar decorating his forehead.

"Fuck" mumbled the boy while multiple chairs crawling on the floor.

One by one all the people in the local approached to shake hands with Ace, or from the perspective of Ace, all rushed to shake his hand. Some even cried as they welcomed him. Ace could feel a little vein in his forehead pounded and became more visible.

"Harry Pott...

"Finish that and I'll cut your tongue" Ace said to Tom, while releasing himself of the hands. "I'm Ace D. Portgas, that's my name and I will not accept any other."

"Ha-rry P-potter" for a moment Ace thought the tips of his hair were to burst into flames.

"Oh, Professor Quirrell" Hagrid said "Ace, Professor Quirrell is a professor at Hogwarts"

"I-I can n-not ex-press how de-delight-ted I am to meet y-ou" the man said as he shook the hand of Ace.

"Likewise" Ace muttered as he took the gauze from the hand of man "What subject you teach?"

"Defense against the dark arts, not that you need it"

Ace replaced the gauze, that was a pity, that subject had attracted his attention.

"Well, we gotta go. Lots to buy" Hagrid said as he led Ace to the back of the room.

"See, I told you were famous" Hagrid said "Even Professor Quirrell was nervous about meeting you, but always nervous"

Ace was still adjusting the gauze, it was uncertain it could hold in place the indefinite time he would be surrounded by wizards "Is he always like that?"

"Yes, brilliant mind, he was well while studying books, but he wanted to have a close encounter and when he returned was not the same. Afraid of the students, scared of his own subject ... Now where is my umbrella?"

It will be a genius, but Ace did not like him, he was sure that the thing with the gauze had been on purpose.

He directed his gaze to Hagrid who was counting the bricks on the wall before beating them three times, and before his eyes a space opened revealing a long, twisting street.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley."

Now Ace knew where they sold everything. He was sure it would take to go around, and know everything at least six or seven more visits.

"First we will go to bank" Hagrid said as he began to move, followed by Ace.

There were herbs on one hand, cauldrons on the other, and owls on one direction and brooms on another. Everything was new and so strange that he did not know where to start.

"Gringotts" said Hagrid as they reach a large white building. They entered the building where they found a pair of silver doors with an engraving.

_"Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed_

_For those who take, but do not earn_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn_

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there"._

"As I said: You'd have to be crazy to rob Gringotts."

But the D was equivalent for madness, or at least in most of the cases.

Ace could feel his blood in flames, possibly literally, at the excitement. He had to steal that place, it did not matter how but he must do it. The warning was just an invitation to Fire Fist Ace.

Hagrid was arranging with a counter, while Ace watched the place: which door people entered, in which door only goblins, where they got valuable things, where they got very valuable things.

"Also I have a letter from Professor Dumbledore" Hagrid said with importance, something that Ace did not ignore. "Is about you know what in vault 713" Ace, could only watch as the goblin read the letter carefully.

"Very well," said the goblin "I'll have someone to accompany you to both values. Griphook!"

Another goblin approached them and asked them to follow him to one of the many doors. On the other side of the door, Ace came across a cave, a cart and a rail.

This was going to be fun.

Ace ran up to the cart, followed by Hagrid and finally Griphook.

ZOOM

For a moment, Ace felt like in a Gomu-Gomu no Rocket, just sitting and in a completely dark. The cart suddenly had shot out at high speed descending to a world of complete darkness.

They descended faster and the cold was increasingly, not that this bothered Ace, they could needed a snow fall for him to start feeling cold. The road was confused and Ace thought he could need his compass.

When the car stopped, Hagrid got down quickly while Ace feel disappointed that the trip was over. Griphook in turn opened the door of the value, from which a green and thick smoke appear and when it dissipated Ace could see mountains of gold coins, silver and bronze, perfectly placed inside.

"All yours" said Hagrid.

Ace had seen more gold in his life than this, but he could not help wonder at the thought that this was lawfully his. Hagrid quickly helped Ace to put the coins in a bag before heading to Griphook.

"Now, value 713, but could we go slower."

Behind him, Ace frowned in disapproval as he put the money in the bag and pulled out his compass discreetly, he wanted to go faster.

"One speed only."

Ace smiled.

They were going even deeper now and gathering speed, each time it was colder and Ace began to think that he would need a jacket.

The compass was useless, the needle turned from side to side and it was impossible to follow. Ace liked this, he love challenges.

"Value 713"

The goblin went to the door and step one of his thin fingers through the door, this vanished immediately.

"If someone other than a Gringotts goblin does that, he will be sucked inside."

"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Ace asked

"Every ten years"

While Hagrid entered the vault, Ace took the opportunity to talk with Griphook while he watched Hagrid discretely.

"That sounds scary" said Ace in a very well acted surprise voice "I guess this must be one of the most valuable and safe vaults".

"It is true that this vault is valuable, but not the most valuable, the lower in the cave and higher the number of the vault, the more valuable and more secure is this"

"There's more? I don't want to imagine what kind of security these vaults will have"

The goblin smiled important.

"You can be sure we have the best security in the world, we have spells and creatures guarding Gringotts and anyone who tries to steal a value will not succeed."

Bingo. "Enchantments and creatures". No dragons, but creatures. Which mean that they not only had dragons, there were more things watching the values.

Hagrid returned with them, not knowing that Ace had noted that the contents of the vault now rested in one of the many pockets of Hagrid.

What was in that little package?

(Scene Break)-.-

Once outside, Ace did not know where to start, so much to see and so much to discover, it was impossible to decide.

"We'd better go to get your uniform"

Hagrid guided Ace to a store to say "Madam Malkin Robes for All Occasions"

"Ah, Ace, you mind if I disappear to the Leaky Cauldron, hate those cars Gringotts"

"Sure" said Ace as he went and entered the store.

Once inside it was Madame Malkin who welcomes him.

"Hogwarts, dear?"

Ace was led to the back where a boy, blond, pale and with thin face was seen by another witch.

When they put the robe on Ace, he could not help exclaiming: "You have to be kidding? This is the uniform?" Ace asked looking at the long robe. "It's so ... so ..."

"Boring" said a voice next to Ace, the boy's voice.

"I was not going to use that word, but, yeah, it is boring"

"I know," he said in a tone of annoyance "Other schools have uniforms more interesting than a simple black robe"

"If I could have another color that would be better"

"My name is Draco, Draco Malfoy"

"Portgas D. Ace"

"I've never heard your last name. What does the D mean?"

"Who knows, everyone in my family have it"

"And your parents have not told you what it means?" Asked the boy, clearly intrigued by what kind of secrets would keep such a family.

"They're dead"

"Oh, sorry," said the child, without feeling in the least "But they were of our class?"

"Class?"

"A wizard and a witch"

"Does it matter?"

But before he could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear,"

"Oh, thanks" Ace replied as he removed his robe "You really can't put flames on the edges"

"They are 7 galleons"

Ace paid for the rob and as he left the boy said:

"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose"

Ace just raised his hand as he walked to the exit.

When Ace left the store, Hagrid approached with two ice creams.

Once they finished with the ice cream, that all they did was open Ace's appetite, they went for the rest of Ace's equipment.

They bought parchment, ink and quills. Later they went to buy his books in Flourish and Blotts, Ace have never seen so many books together, while Hagrid asked for the books in the school list, Ace saw other books he could find interesting.

"Ready, Ace, let's go" and left the store, nor Hagrid or the shop owner noticed that Ace's backpack had a curious square shape.

Ace thought to repeat the action of Flourish and Blotts with a cauldron of solid gold, but Hagrid saw him and had to pretend he was just watching it.

"It says pewter on your list" said Hagrid.

They later went to that was quite interesting Apothecary, and while Hagrid called for a supply of basic potions ingredients, Ace had taken out the book "One Hundred herbs and fungus" to see what might be appropriate to buy.

Once outside, Hagrid checked Ace's list.

"Just your wand left - A yeah, an' I still haven't got you a birthday present."

Ace was thrilled, but Makino's voice echoed in the distance.

"You don't have to" said the boy.

"Of course I don't" Giant said "I'll give you an animal, not a toad these went out of fashion for years, and I do not like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get you an owl, they are very useful carry your mail and everything"

Inside the store Ace could not decide what owl he wanted, they all looked so fragile and delicate. Suddenly his eye fell on a larger figure. The light filtering through a window gave a reddish tone to the feathers, his eyes were a deep black color, and the sharp claws were nailed to a wooden log. A red hawk.

"You like it?" Hagrid's voice asked.

Makino's voice could stop him.

"Yes"

Minutes later, Ace left the store with the red hawk in a cage.

Ace couldn't stop stammering his thanks to Hagrid; he did not know how much you have to thank someone that give you a present like that.

"Do not mention it" Hagrid said "Now let go to Ollivanders"

Hagrid took Ace to the last store, where once inside he could only watch the book shelf filled with boxes accommodated on each other in perfect order.

"Good afternoon" Ace almost jumps.

"Hello"

"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter. You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand." Ace could only listen to the man as he spoke of the Potter, even when he wanted to said that he did not want to know about them, that they were not his parents, but those big eyes as big silver moon and the way he spoke made it impossible to speak. "Well, I say your father favored it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."

Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Ace were almost nose to nose. Something that was quite uncomfortable for the boy.

"And that's where..."

Mr. Ollivander touched la gauze on Ace's forehead with a long, white finger.

"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do..."

He shook his head and then, to Ace's relief, spotted Hagrid.

"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again... Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"

"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.

"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.

"Er - yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.

"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.

"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Ace could not help grinning when he noticed Hagrid gripping his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.

"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now - Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"

"Er - left-handed?" said Ace. And what do that had to do.

"Hold out your arm. That's it." Ace immediately reached out and the man began to take measure without meaning to Ace, and then let the tape measure keep measuring while Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.

"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one." He tried one, tested two, three, four. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become. Ace had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for, but he was starting to feel foolish.

"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere - I wonder, now - - yes, why not - unusual combination - holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

Mr. Ollivander ran his wand and Ace, tired of trying so many wand, took it whit out encouragement. Almost immediately he felt a suddenly warmth in his fingers, he moved the wand rapidly from one side to another through the dusty air and in its way left little fireflies that after a while began to burn in small tongues of fire.

Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious... "

He put Ace's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious..

"What's curious?" unable to control his own little curiosity

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you that scar."

Ace raised an eyebrow as if to say: "This man is completely crazy."

"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter... After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."

It was official, he didn't like Mr. Ollivander; he was too creepy for his taste.

Ace did not hide the pleasure he fell from being able to get out of that dark store, and once having all the equipment from the list, Hagrid led the boy back to the Leaky Cauldron, where Hagrid made the huge mistake inviting dinner at Ace.

That was a big advantage that all expenses are paid Hogwarts, because otherwise Hagrid would be in huge trouble.

Ace probably had requested more dishes than Mr. Ollivander tested wands.

"Um ...Ace?" Hagrid began

"Mmmm" Ace said as a sign that he listened

"You'll stay here for the rest of the summer" Ace stopped mid bite and Hagrid could feel him looked sideways "right?"

"Why?" Ask the boy.

"Well ... it's not safe to walk by yourself for all England" Hagrid said, but quickly regretted it said, a huge cool climb down his spine. "And with all your equipment for school, did not think carrying it for all England"

Ace even glancing at Hagrid, considered what the giant said, He had to admit it was a very good point; he could not travel with such a trunk from side to side. Moreover, this was the perfect opportunity to explore London and further explore Diagon Alley.

"Hogwarts will pay for all expenses" Hagrid added sure that at the end of summer Dumbledore could regret giving that instruction.

"It's okay by me" As if Ace would refuse the idea of free food.

After eating and settle in what would be his room for a month, Ace accompanied Hagrid to the Leaky Cauldron fireplace, mainly out of curiosity.

"Well, Ace, this is your train ticket, any problems you send me your hawk ... he ... he'll find me."

"Ok"

And with that Hagrid entered the flame and threw some powder into the fire, shouting: "Hogwarts" and disappeared into a huge green flame.

Ace remained static before the fire, while the flames returned to normal.

Yet despite his surprise, he could only say one thing: "I feel like I forgot something"


	4. B1 C4 - The Journey from platform 9 34

Disclaimer: One Piece and Harry Potter does not belong to me, each belongs to their respective author. At the moment, only Mecha is mine.

Challenge by TheBlackSeaReaper.

Beta: TheBlackSeaReaper

_**-.-**__The Journey from platform nine and three-quarters_

Ace spent the rest of the summer wondering what had he forgotten, he was not sure what it was but it had to do with Hagrid, he was certain of that.

The rest of the summer was pretty quiet, in the definition of Ace, of course. Ace visited London and Diagon Alley at his pleasure.

The only one who did not enjoy this month was Tom, who was about to start marking in the calendar the remaining days to the start of the term. He did not know what to do, Ace ate like he has no tasted food in months, and that was the least of the problems, on the early days Tom took his good scares when Ace did not return until late at night, after exploring Muggle London, these little details made Ace´s sleep disorder seen as something insignificant.

But the truth was that Tom relaxed more when Ace went to Diagon Alley.

Ace went and visited every shop in the alley, including those he had visited with Hagrid.

He did not like his small form but he must take full advantage of it, and after going through adulthood, this had its advantage, which he had not seen the first time. One was how easy it was to approach people and them to come out to you when one is a child, perhaps it had to do with the idea that children are innocent and have no evil ... Unless of course they met Sabo, Luffy and Ace.

People, incredibly, thought that it was adorable the little boy going from here to there, asking for this and that, not knowing that their pockets were slightly sacked. The store owners were no exception, some willing to help new generations answered every one of Ace's questions, those which were not so willing to help, saw their service reflected in the sudden loss of merchandise.

At the end of the summer, Ace had made great friends with the owner of the Apothecary and the book store Flourish and Blotts. He had discovered that Madame Malkin hated him (probably because Ace's taste in fashion) and the owner of Florean Fortescue's, every time Ace went, follow him intently waiting for the child to fall asleep, for some reason, the reaction of everyone around him was all fun.

The first of September came and Ace, to his surprise, found himself excited to go. "Just a little, nothing more," he told himself. Although it was expected, Ace had spent a full month flipping through his books, practicing spells like the tickling spell on the Cauldron clients (although none had worked), or brewing potions like the Wide-eye Potion so he could put it in the drink of some poor victim, but there were some potion like the Forgetfulness Potion that had never worked. Ace was sure that there was something he was not doing right, and although he hates to admit it, he needed help.

When he came down to breakfast that morning, Tom had already prepared the huge breakfast that the child was used to take. Ace was sitting on the chair when something big went over his head and went on the chair opposite to him, slowly the red hawk turned with wings slightly open so he could give the impression of being bigger. Tom, like several customers of the Leaky Cauldron moved away from the tables with caution, while Ace settled into his chair and the hawk crouched a bit with his wings open. At any time either looked away from the other. Suddenly the two jumped on the table, and after what seemed like a minute, all was calm, the hawk was standing on the table pulling a piece of meat with his beak, while Ace, with one foot on the table and one in the chair, was holding the same piece of meat in his hands, in an attempt to take away the piece from the hawk, as he said, "Give me that Mecha, doomed ugly bird"

Once Mecha has proved that his force could hold the boy's, let go of the piece, causing Ace to hit the ground.

And this was every morning.

Tom after that was in charge of hurry Ace to leave to the station, he even got a taxi to take him. Ace was helping the driver to upload the trunk, when Tom, trying hard not to cry, gave Ace a large package that has a smell of a huge snack for the road. Because Tom knew that despite everything that Ace had made him passed, he would miss the child.

King's Cross was one of the few places that Ace had been unable to visit in his stay but once he arrived and took out his ticket to see the number of the platform, he wished he had paid a visit or at least have seen the ticket before.

Was it perhaps this what he had forgotten? No, there was no way that he had, this was the first time he saw the ticket.

Ace began to walk along the platform 9 and 10, maybe there was some stairs somewhere, but a little voice shouted "They are wizards, they will not have stairs at simple glance" Sure, how could wizards leave stairs at the eye of ... What was the word Hagrid use to describe not magical people?

"... Muggles, of course"

Ace quickly turned his head, so fast that is hurt, to the peculiar word he was looking for.

"Now, what's the platform number?" Said a plump woman, who was followed by four redheaded boys. All carrying trunks and one of them with an owl.

"Nine and three-quarters!" said a little girl also redhead, pretty adorable.

"All right, Percy" said the woman "you go first."

The boy with the owl began to move and just as he reaches the wall, a group of people stood in the sight of Ace.

"Fred, you next,"

"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"

"Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred," and began to advance, while Ace made an effort not to laugh. Even when he did not know them, those twins seem that were great.

When the twins disappeared, Ace knew that by only watching he could not discover anything.

"Sorry" education first "I was wondering if you could tell me how to get to the platform?"

"Sure," she said with a big smile, "It's your first year, right? It is also the first year of Ron" said while pointing to his youngest son. "All you have to do is to move forward, directly to the wall, run if you're nervous"

Ace looked at the wall, and then to the woman, as if trying to figure out if it was safe or not. Oh well, it would not be the first wall that he crashed. "Willingly, it would be" he thought.

Ace began to run, and run, and eager to see what happened he did not close his eyes, as he crossed the wall, it was like falling into water, and on the other side of the wall, was another platform, with a large train with the inscription: "Hogwarts Express"

Ace went to the last car without paying attention to anyone, took Mecha's cage and move him to one of the compartments, then left for the trunk.

"Need help," said one of the redheads twin.

"No, I have everything under control" and with that, he lifted the trunk on his shoulder, and introduced it to the wagon. The twins, surprised, followed him to the compartment where they could only watch how he handles the trunk as if it were empty.

"Wow, how ...?" said one, was he George

"How did you do that?" finish the other.

"What?" Ace asked innocently.

"Lift the trunk" the twins replied in unison

"Oh, that ... Eh… practice?"

"Wicked" They said in unison "We are twins ..."

"... Fred ..." said one, pointing to the other.

"... and George" said Fred pointing to George

"Ace D. Portgas"

"Fred, George, are you there?

"Coming, mom"

"See you later Ace"

Ace saw the twins getting out of the train and meeting with his mother and siblings. With nothing more, he dropped into his seat, opened his backpack and pulled his worn old copy of Treasure Island. Maybe, at last, after a month of only magic books, Ace might know who Long John Silver was. Ace was in the part where Jim saw Black Dog again when the compartment door opened.

"Sorry, is it occupied? Every else is full" it was the red-haired boy.

"No, go ahead." Ace said.

He had not even sat down when the door opened and the twins appeared.

"Hey, Ron, Listen, we're going down to the middle of the train... Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there"

"A giant tarantula?" exclaimed Ace

"Yea, wan' to come, Ace?" said George

"Absolutely"

"Perfect" said Fred, in seconds Ace was already at the door following the twins.

"So, Ace" began George "where are you from?"

-.-

The giant tarantula was not as giant as Ace imagined. Used to the wonder of the Grand Line, Ace hoped something at least his size.

He returned to his compartment, thinking of some of the plans the twins had for the semester, those twins were really great.

He was missing only one car to reach his compartment, when a sound caught his attention. A frog? No, it sounded lower. Ace began searching and soon found the source of the sound. A Toad.

Ace took the toad in his hands and stared at him, he said nothing, and just kept going with the toad in hand. He was close to reach the compartment when he saw something out of the ordinary; it was a boy, who was crawling on all fours on the floor. Just when Ace approached the boy, a boy with a round face, he looked up.

"Trevor!" The boy exclaimed as he stood up. "You found Trevor"

"Trevor?" asked the young pirate.

"My toad"

"Oh, it's yours. I thought it had no owner." Ace then looked at the toad "It's a shame it looked so delicious"

Trevor then opened wide his eyes before starting to croak and shake his legs vigorously in an attempt to free himself.

"You're not serious, right?" Asked the boy in a shy tone.

"Sure, frog meat is so good"

Trevor seemed to freeze while a strong shiver went through him, only to begin to stir desperately. Meanwhile, the boy looked at Ace waiting for this was a joke.

"In fact, it already made me hungry" And if it were the most normal thing to do, Ace entered the compartment, followed by the boy with worried expression.

Inside was still the redhead.

With his free hand, Ace took his backpack, while Trevor shivered violently, only to be released into the seat as if he were nothing.

The boy used the moment to rescue his toad, while Ace took from the bag his lunch that Tom had prepared in the morning.

"I'm starving"

"You did not have breakfast?" asked the redhead.

"Yes, but it is never enough"

"By the way, I am Ron Weasley"

"Ace D. Portgas, and what is your name?" referring to boy with the toad.

"Oh, Neville Longbotom"

Ace continued eating while he was watched by Neville and Ron.

"So, how was it?" Ron asked, breaking the silence.

"Boring" replied the boy, "I expected something bigger, but your two brothers are great"

"Do you have brothers?" Neville asked "Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch, but I would have liked to have two brothers"

"Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left… Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a perfect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."

Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.

"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a perfect, but they couldn't aff… I mean, I got Scabbers instead."

Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.

Ace said nothing and just kept eating; he saw nothing wrong with not being able to buy an owl, on the contrary, for a long time he had not been able to buy anything, most of what he had acquired had been stealing. Ron seemed like the classic pessimist, who only complained and did nothing about it.

"And you, Ace?" Neville asked in an attempt to divert Ron depression.

"I what?"

"Who you live with?"

"Ah, I live alone"

"Alone?"

"Well, I used to live with some ... what's the word?"

"Muggles?" said Ron. "What are they like?"

"Horrible…Well, not all of them. The Dursleys are, though. For that reason I escape"

"Escape?" Neville asked, in a tone of wonder and surprise "My grandmother would kill me if I did that"

"Well it's not as if they would care"

The clock soon struck half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back door and Their said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"

"Yes I'm starving"

"But you just eat" shouted Ron.

"I'm growing, I need to eat well" And knowing how much he would grow, he need a lot.

Ace bought a little bit of everything from the cart. Ron just stared as Ace brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat.

"Really hungry, are you?"

"Always," said Ace, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.

"I left my lunch in my compartment" said Neville who was ready to get up and get out of the compartment.

"Don't worry, have a pasty, they are good"

Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef."

"You too, have a pasty," said Ace. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron and Neville, eating Their Way through all Ace's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten). It felt like that old days when people gather, and the best moments were as they ate and drank as they talked and sang.

No, he should not think about it.

"What are these?" Ace asked, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "Are they really frogs?" He really wanted that the answer were yes.

"No," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."

"What?"

"Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them" answer Neville "to collect..."

"...famous witches and wizards." Continue Ron "I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."

Ace unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half- moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.

"So this is Dumbledore" said Ace.

"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa… thanks"

"And you, Neville, go ahead there are many"

Neville took one of the frogs, muttering a simple thanks.

"No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her... do you want it? You can start collecting."

"Not interested" Ace replied, leaving the card in the seat.

Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped. He was about to ask for another when they hear a strong:

TUM

"What happened?" said Neville standing up, follow by Ron.

"I do not know, you were closer"

Ace's head had fallen without warning against the glass of the window, which was now cracked.

"He is not dead, right?" asked Neville

"He was fine just now"

"Maybe he ate a lot and ..."

"Nobody dies from eating a lot" Ron said clearly worried. "Wait, you hear that?"

"What?" gasped Neville in surprise.

"That noise, it comes from Ace" Ron carefully approached Ace "Ah, he is asleep"

"But just now was fine"

"For a moment I thought he had fainted," said Ron.

Neville meanwhile looked from one side to another, "Have you seen Trevor?"

"He was in the seat a few minutes ago"

"Oh, he got lost again" and with that he began to search through all the boxes of candy.

"I do not know why you are lamenting; if I brought a toad I would like it to be lost"

But Neville said nothing; he just simply opens the door while saying "I'm going to look somewhere else"

Ron was again alone in the compartment; Ace seemed still asleep and would not wake soon. He took a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

In something he had to entertain himself.

-.-

The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.

Ron was busy trying to turn Scabbers yellow, while Ace was still sounding asleep, when the compartment door opened. Neville was back, this time with a girl.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.

"I see you still cannot find him" said Ron, but the girl was not listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.

"Er… all right."

He cleared his throat.

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard… I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough… I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you.

She said all this very fast.

Ron looked at Neville, who had an expression as if saying "Sorry"

"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.

"Urusai!"

Ace has risen with a sleepy expression, only to drop back his head on the glass, breaking it more.

"And he is Ace D. Portgas"

Hermione only gave him a small glance and then returned to the other.

"Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."

And she went; while Neville apologize saying he would stay in the compartment to look there for Trevor.

"Sorry" said once the girl left.

"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron. He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell… George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."

"What house are your brothers in?" asked Neville.

"Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mom and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."

"So what do your oldest brothers do now That they've left, anyway?" Neville asked in simple curiosity.

"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? Someone tried to rob a high security vault."

They continued talking about the case before passing over to Quidditch, teams and plays, but Ron was the one who dominated the conversation.

Ace was still sleeping when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it was not Hermione Granger this time. Three boys entered, the boy in the center, shorter in stature than the other two gorillas that accompanied him, studied with an expert eye the compartment searching for something.

"Can I help you?" Ron said in a tone that said more "Go away, nobody invited you"

"I doubt it, I'm looking for someone but clearly he would not be in a compartment with you"

"Then go" growled Ron.

"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys?"

"Damn it, Urusai!"

It was then that the boy fixed his eyes on Ace "Alright guys, keep looking. I got this"

The gorillas left the compartment, and the pale boy approached Ace standing right in front of him. Ron was standing and Neville had imitated him. They did not know what meant "Urusai", but from the tone in which Ace said it, sounded like it was not something nice.

"I was just wondering where you were left " said the pale boy. Ace didn't move, still asleep. "Hey wake up" Draco could feel a vein throbbing in his head, and without hesitation he took Ace's shoulders and began shaking him vigorously "I'm talking to you, awake up"

Once stopped, Ace half opened his eyes, looked at Draco, then glanced at Ron and Neville who stood ready to jump into Malfoy. Then he looked back at Draco.

"Oh, it's you?"

"'It's you?' That's all you can say? "Said the blond.

"What did you expect me to say?"

Before Draco could say more, Neville intervened.

"Ace, you already knew each other?"

"Sure," replied Draco "I met him at Diagon Alley"

"It is he who you were searching?" Neville asked.

"Because if he is, you can leave" snarled Ron.

Draco ignored him and turned to answer the question of Neville.

"No, I wasn't looking at him; I was expecting to find him while looking for someone else"

"And who you were looking?" Ace asked.

"Harry Potter" answered in a low voice still looking at Ace, who could not help to put an expression of surprise, which quickly changed to a serious one.

"Harry Potter?" Neville asked, "Is he here?"

"According to rumors, yes, they say him in Diagon Alley, and he must, after all he is old enough to go to Hogwarts, his name should be on the list since he has a year old"

Ace said nothing; he remained sitting, watching the three boys talking about Harry Potter. Ron and Neville had an expression of absolute amazement at the possibility that Harry Potter was in the same train, while Draco was anxious and excited. Ace held his immense desire to bring his hand to his forehead to check if the gauze was still there.

"What I do not understand," Draco continued addressing Ace "is what are you doing here?" Ace raised an eyebrow in "it's not obvious" away, message Draco certainly understand "I mean here with Weasley"

"What?" exclaimed Weasley.

"No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."

Ron's ears turned red, but that did not stop him from replying.

"Well I've heard of your family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. I don't believe it. Your father doesn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side."

Neville looked from side to side, his hands slightly raised in an attempt to see how to stop them. Ace did not move from his place. This seemed to be the beginning of a great rivalry, caused by old quarrels between families. Not his business, and in his opinion absurd.

Draco was about to answer when Hermione Granger came in.

"What has been going on? You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"

"Who are you?" ask Ace out of the blue.

"Hermione Granger" She said without emotion before returning to the others "You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there."

"Would you mind leaving while we change?" said Ron, scowling at her.

"All right… I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"

Ron glared at her as she left. Ace peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.


	5. B1 Chapter 5 - The Sorting Hat

Disclaimer: One Piece and Harry Potter does not belong to me, each belongs to their respective author. At the moment, only Mecha is mine, who is adorable, by the way.

Challenge by TheBlackSeaReaper.

Beta: TheBlackSeaReaper

_-.-The Sorting Hat_

Ace got off the train followed by Ron and Neville.

He hated that ridiculous and boring tunic, and he was determined that he would do something to it or would burn it at the first chance he got.

Draco and his bodyguards-gorillas had come by; however, Draco stood as far as possible from Ron and didn't look at each other not even by mistake.

This was going to be an intense rivalry, at least for a couple of years.

"Firs' years!" said a voice in the sea of students "Firs' years over here!" Hagrid was approaching with a huge flashlight while the young students began to follow him "All right there, Ace?"

"Aye"

"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

The little firsts years, clumsily and timidly followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. Nobody spoke much. Neville, sniffed once or twice, Ace was not sure if it was for Trevor or the dark path that now marched.

"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Oooooh!"

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. On the edge atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore.

Ace could not help it and quickly jumped into one, with the skills he had acquired in his life in the Grand Line, he was followed by Ron, Hermione and Neville, and the latter had many difficulties to get on the boat.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. Ace looked for the oars, because they were going to cross the lake, there was no other way. "Right then - FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent.

"What! They move on their own, what's the point of that!" Well, all but Ace, who seemed indignant.

"It's more comfortable this way," said Hagrid from his boat.

"You take away all the fun"

In another boat, Draco into a great effort not to laugh, while his bodyguards gorillas keep staring up at the great castle overhead.

Soon they reached the cliff where they crossed a curtain of ivy that hid an opening in the cliff. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which take them to an underground harbor.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.

"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands.

Ace went together with the other students by a stone staircase, following Hagrid closely and soon they arrived at the exterior, right in the shadow of the castle.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded round the huge, Oak front door. Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face, along with a strange and strong air of authority, and Ace's first thought was that this was not someone to cross, if you want to follow the rules.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. And many of the students could not contain expressions of surprise; the entrance hall was so big you could have fit a whole house in it. "But definitely the Moby Dick was bigger." Ace said.

The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Ace could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right -the rest of the school must already be here - but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Her eyes lingered for a moment on Ace's cloak, which was unbuttoned most of the pins above, and on Ron's smudged nose.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber. Neville swallowed behind Ace.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

A test? What kind of test? And it hurt a lot... a fight? Against who? Maybe against a monster, but what kind of monster.

Around him, no one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need. Ace tried hard not to listen to her, it was annoying.

Then several people behind him screamed.

"What the hell?" Ace murmured.

About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years.

Ace ignore them, right now his mind was focused on the fight that he will have in a few moments.

"Move along now," said the sharp voice of Professor McGonagall. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start. Form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Ace got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

Seeing that the castle was, well, dark, Ace thought that inside was the same; he never imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting.

Professor McGonagall led the first years up, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them.

The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Ace looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."

Ace stop staring at the magic sky and looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty, everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, curious of what exactly everyone was waiting. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:

_"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true _

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Ace. "I'll kill Fred; he was going on about wrestling a troll."

Ace could have preferred the troll; this was too simple, put at the same time very complex. The hat could enter in Ace mind, see his memory, and Ace wonder what house a pirate could fit in. The Chivalry, the loyal, the ready mind, or the cunning. Ace smiled, Luffy definitely could not fit in Ravenclaw.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

And Ace continued to wonder about that peculiar hat. How could he read the mind? Could he see everything? Did the student see what the hat sees?

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned.

If the hat and the person saw at the same time the memories, it would be fun to see his childhood with Luffy and Sabo and his time with the Pirates Whitebeard.

When Neville, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."

But Ace had one thing clear; he did not want to see the last hours of his life.

Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called; the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, the bodyguard gorillas, looking pleased with himself.

Ace notice that there weren't many people left now. "Moon" "Nott" "Parkinson" then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" then "Perks, Sally-Anne" and then, at last - "Potter, Harry!"

"Damn! That's what I forgot"

Whispers began to overflow the room, and Ace could distinguish some who said: "Potter, did she say?" or "The Harry Potter?"

The sea of students sitting at the tables scanned from one side to another the row of first year students looking to see when Harry Potter would happen to be. But many lost interest quickly when they noticed the comic and little discreet sign conversation between Hagrid and one of the first graders.

Ace, he refused to go, and rightly, he was not Harry Potter so there was no reason for him to pass. But Hagrid had another idea. Which, in outstanding sign language he tried to tell him it was his turn. While Ace, crossing his arms over his head in denial. And then he turned around as if nothing had happened.

How could he have forgotten something as simple and important as tell Hagrid to make sure they call him Ace at Hogwarts.

By then, Hagrid had raise from his seat and in an unsuccessful attempt to go unnoticed, advanced on tiptoe from his place to where Professor McGonagall was. Many of the students made a great effort not to laugh, while Hagrid whispered something in the ear of the professor.

"What?" Exclaimed the professor, only to be pulled over by Hagrid that whisper again "Why would I have to do that?" More whispers "This is ridiculous"

Hagrid returned to his seat while Professor McGonagall just sighed before looking at the list on the parchment, "Portgas D. Ace"

Ace left the line, while multiple small murmurs were heard in the room; he sat on the stool and stood in silence while the professor placed the hat. He was a pirate; a pirate was not afraid of anything and he was ready to face the Sorting Hat.

"Oh, a Pirate!" said a voice in his head "not heard from one of you in a while, especially one with so many qualities, where you will go now ... You have courage, you are loyal to yours, have a quick mind, even if most of the time you're a knucklehead, you did not got to be Second Commander of Whitebeard only by your strength, and finally Determination. Though you have a huge loyalty and a spirit of fellowship unrivaled, you lack the patience of a true Hufflepuff as the fair play which is not a surprise. And even when you could be creative that is not enough for this world standard, let's be realistic. That leave Slytherin and Gryffindor, and you have many traits of a Slytherin, but I am afraid that you lack of self-preservation"

"What do you mean by that?" thought the young pirate

"I only say what I see in your memories. Which leaves us with GRYFFINDOR"

Ace listened as this last word was shouted across the Great Hall, and the Gryffindor table burst into applause. Ace took off the hat, handed it to the teacher, and then provide a little bow in gratitude.

In the table, the Weasley twins shouted "Well done, Ace" While the boy sat next to Neville and instead of watch the rest of the ceremony, he began to observe his surroundings: Many eyes were on him, and whispered among themselves. This was not good, certainly they had noticed, even though Potter and Portgas started with the same letters, Potter was alphabetically before Portgas.

Soon came Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. A second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Neville clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to Ace.

"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley Pompously across Ace as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.

"Oh! So hungry" murmured Ace as he let his head fell down on the table.

"But you just eat on the train!" Ron exclaimed. But Ace did not respond.

George, or was Fred? Who sat next to Ace just mumbled "he is asleep"

"That was fast" murmured someone.

Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. "Is the food ready?" Ask Ace rising from his sleepy moment.

Ron seems ready to say something but, he notices the food that has just appear, and seeing how Ace began to eat, quickly decide to eat before the food runs out.

For Ace, this was one of the liveliest meals he had in a long time, between the talks with Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost of Gryffindor, and the talk among students, first years trying to meet one another, wondering where they were, what they did before coming to Hogwarts and families. Other talked about what they had done in the summer, where they had been and some other concerned in the classes that they would begin the next day (Percy Weasley and Hermione Granger). Ace was sure he could get used to this. It was not the same, but there was a hint of camaraderie that warms his heart.

At last, the food disappeared, even when Ace was still eating, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent. "Ahern - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you:"

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils." Really he should not have told that to Ace, anything prohibited was equivalent to an invitation for him "And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins and Ace found himself smiling at them.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors."

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch." Quidditch? What the hell was that?

"And finally, I must tell you that this year; the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." Now, that was the worst thing to say to a young pirate of the Grand Line.

"He's not serious?" Neville muttered to Percy.

"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere - the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that." Ace loved that forest with every word he heard "I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Ace noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.

Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"

Ace choose the first tune that came to his mind, which happen to be Bink's no Sake.

_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bald_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains all rot._

Ok, bad idea, that sounded very weird.

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.

"A, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Ace was probably the only first year awake enough to be surprised by the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, even when he was full of food.

They climbed more staircases, many yawning and dragging their feet, and some wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt. A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.

"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves - show yourself"

A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered. Ace laughed.

"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?" There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross- legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.

"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"

He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.

Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.

"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."

At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman, probably more that Dadan, in a pink silk dress.

"Password?" she said.

"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it - Neville needed a leg up - and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.

Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase - they were obviously in one of the towers - they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.

"Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered through the hangings. "Get off, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets."

Ace was going to say something else, but soon noticed that Ron slept like Neville. Ace set his sights on the roof, this was problematic: He did not feel sleepy at all.


	6. B1 Chapter 6 - The Music of the Night

Disclaimer: One Piece and Harry Potter does not belong to me, each belongs to their respective author. At the moment, only Mecha is mine, who is adorable; and the armors

Challenge by TheBlackSeaReaper.

Beta: TheBlackSeaReaper

_-.-The Music of the Night_

One of the disadvantages of his strange illness was not only falling asleep in the most unusual places and strange situations, but he could also go for long periods of time in complete insomnia.

Ace wanted to think it was for sleeping too much on the train journey, but without a doubt it was because of his curious disorder.

Since its first appearance, back in Mount Colubo at the age of 13. It had never caused any problems to Ace, Luffy found it funny, and Dadan's and other bandits' reactions were always amusing. With the insomnia, regarding Luffy he did not care, he was hyperactive enough to keep him company all night. Once at sea, with the Whitebeard Pirates, there had not been problems, there was always someone to take care of removing him from the way, and in case of insomnia he could always go to keep company who was on duty, or to bother Marco, for a change.

But here... here he had no idea of what to do and definitely staring at the ceiling did not sound interesting at all. Before he could analyze what his possibilities, a noise at the window caught his attention. Mecha was on the other side of the glass.

Ace rushed to the window, to let the hawk in, which came in quickly and placed himself on the nightstand next to the bed of Ace.

"Hello to you too" said Ace while Mecha all he did was turn it over to see the boy, then shake his head in an attempt to readjust the feathers that had been tousled by the wind. "Where were you?" In response the bird went to the window and focused his gaze on a tower of the castle, Ace looked out to see the tower, multiple birds where entering and leaving. "Ah, I see, so that's where you sleep" Mecha just got off the window annoyed "What? You don't like your roommates?" Mecha looked at him and just shook his head. "I know, they are too delicate" Mecha just roll his eyes in signal "You have no idea how much"

Ace looked back at the cold night that unfolded outside, and almost all the castle lights were off, and the remaining ones were few, and appeared to be of small offices, teachers probably finishing up preparations for the next day.

"Hey, Mecha" The bird lifted his head quickly, he certainly did not expect the child to talk and he was falling asleep. "How about if we go to have some fun?"

It seemed like the bird would not sleep that night.

-.-

The common room was empty. And as Ace descended the stairs, Mecha in his shoulder, the bird kept his eyes fixed on a sofa in front of the fire, probably the bird coming to the conclusion that for now on that chair would be his.

However, Mecha would not taste the common room that night. Ace was heading very sure of himself, compass in hand, at the output of the common room where the portrait was left opened and Ace wrap himself in the darkness and silence of the castle.

The plan was simple, go to the corridor of the third flour or the Forbidden Forest, the first thing he find. It was easy to reach the forest he only had to jump through a window and the rest was a breeze, but where was the fun in that.

Ace walk through the corridors with his upper hand completely covered in flames to light the darkness of the castle and in the other hand the compass.

Mecha, meanwhile, began to let his head toss back and forward, but he made a hard effort not to fall asleep, and that because that child was unexpected, out of the blue the boy burst into flames.

Whispers.

Mecha raised his head, turning it from side to side. Voices. Who might be up at this hour? The voices increases they come closer, but curious, Mecha did not hear footsteps...

Could it be?

They could not be ... ghosts?

Mecha take at his peak one of Ace tufts of hair, and began to pull. "Hey what's wrong?" Mecha keep pulling as he was flying will he pull the child in the direction of a door.

"Stop pulling me, you doomed old bird"

And with that the young pirate followed the hawk to one of the rooms, which seemed to be an empty classroom. Mecha was placed at the head of Ace while the child maintained the door half open to see what it was that had put the ugly bird in that state.

After some time when the imagination of Ace travel to a giant monster or better yet, a truly giant.

A silvery figure crossed in front of the door.

"Coward" whispered the child, which the bird responded with a sound that could be interpreted much like a "I do not care"

Ace continued to explore, completely ignoring the ghosts, there had no importance, it was more important to find the corridor of the third floor. He went under stairs, crossed walkway, jumped steps when they disappeared and when Mecha had already fall sleep, Ace came to a door where he believed was the third floor.

"Please, let it be" muttered the pirate as he forced the lock.

CLICK

"At last!"

Ace opened the door and quickly closed it back on itself. He looked up, finding a scene he did not expect. Mecha that had awakened when the door closed had his eyes wide open, not sure if moving was a good idea.

Ace was going to say something, but his instincts alerted him, jumping to hit with all his force something to his right, he didn't saw what it was, he only knew his fist made contact with something metallic and this came out flying.

"What is the meaning of this?" bellowed a voice from the balcony; Ace looked back up to see the balcony full of ghosts and a fat ghost standing with a ridiculous hat.

He did not pay attention to him or any of the other ghosts, or the people in the pictures who watched the long corridor. The light was dim, and Ace could see that he was in a long hallway with a railing, above several balconies were full of ghosts and in the walls portraits of people that gave an aspect rather saturated. He led his sight where his attacker had fallen, now victim, and saw an armor on the floor, other armor were there trying to help.

"Hurry to get him on his horse."

Ace looked at the horse, if you could call it a horse, but rather was the armor of a horse, completely empty.

"Sorry, but he is unconscious" the voice of the armor sounded full of disappointment.

"Well that's not surprise, he is a weakling, this means that the champion is Ser..."

"No, he has not won the last battle" exclaimed a woman in a box.

Multiple murmurs of approval were heard

"My dear lady," said the fat ghost "You heard it yourself, he is unconscious"

"But Ser Jozan has not defeated him"

"Then find someone who will supply o wait a moment, all the others were defeated in previous fights, unless you have some other knight to fight this just is over"

Bored, thought Ace, this was definitely not the third floor corridor, probably he turning in the opposite direction in the last stairs. With that, he turned to go.

"Wait boy" said a hoarse voice, prompting Ace to turn back.

An armor was moving from the left, looking completely different from the rest of the armor, possibly was the shield that was different, or helmet. "I want to fight you"

"Don't be ridiculous," said one of the armor "it's just a kid."

The armor Ser Jozan ignored him, "you defeated a knight with one hit, which immediately makes you the replacement of SerLooras"

In a normal situation Ace would had said he was not interested, but something in... Ser Jozan prevented Ace to say no.

"Very well," said the pirate while thundering his knuckles and Ser Jozan simply he turned around.

Before Ace could say anything else one of the armor, pulled aside Ace, where he tried putting on an armor, which Ace flatly refused, so he could only put a helmet. They put him on the horse armor and gave him a weapon and a shield.

This was ridiculous, how could they expect he could fight in this. Ace was on one end, and the armor on the other side. But Ace was not going to deny any kind of battle, he was going to fight with this knight and he was going to win.

The armor prepared his spear and shield, Ace imitates him and at the voice of the fat ghost, both horse-armor began to trot. The spear of Ser Jozan fell full with the coat of Ace, while the spear of Ace fail, however Ace with a deft move of his shield he throw away the lance of Ser Jozan.

Both horses arrived at the other end and Ace took the time to rearrange his shield.

Both knights (if you can call Ace that) were prepared and soon the horses-armor trotted to met again. This time Ser Jozan focused on to make a more precise prompting Ace off balance and even tried to overthrow Ser Jozan, Ace could not throw him, and without further fell.

The ghosts and portraits burst into applause as Ser Jozan came down from his horse to approach Ace.

"And now comes the duel with sword" and with those words two armors handed a sword to Ser Jozan and to Ace.

Ace held his weapon, it was not his favorite but he preferred the sword to the spear that he had used moments ago.

Ser Jozan prepared himself, sword and shield in hand, meanwhile Ace had thrown the shield as far as possible and only held the sword.

"I suggest you keep your shield" said Ser Jozan.

"I do not need it" and moved quickly to leaping and release hit on the armor, which quickly caught the blow with his sword at the same time he pushed Ace.

Ace skillfully fell with his feet on the ground, sword still in hand and the other hand on the ground, he didn't wait a second to re-jump against the armor and hitting hard continuously while Ser Jozan answered the blows over and over again.

Finally both blades were again locked in each other, by the force exerted on each other.

"... Damn lots of tin, you are wreaking havoc again!" Exclaim a hard voice from down the hall.

"There is he again, I thought it would take longer this year." Ser Jozan murmured, even with the sword stuck in Ace's.

"Every year is the same, you do your chaos and who is it that has to clean everything? Me! If it was up to me you would all be removed of the hallways."

Suddenly Ser Jozan left to exert force and taking a turn prompted Ace give two steps to maintain balance.

"It's over boy," said Armor.

"Are you kidding, I will kick your ass"

"Filch is here"

"It's just an old man, he can do nothing."

"I want to fight with you later, but if you are found by Filch, he will arrange to get you expelled, so go, and then we will continue with this"

"I will not turn away from the enemy"

"Do not be silly, boy. You are not turning away, go now."

Ace felt a shift inside, something that say: "Do not be stubborn, listen to him"

"Stop calling me boy," said the young pirate "my name is Portgas D. Ace"

"Well, Portgas D. Ace, we will continue our fight another night"

Ace smiled "You can be sure of that"

And although he did not like the idea very much, Ace left the hall, followed by Mecha. He took his own steps, up to Gryffindor's Tower.

Perhaps he had not found the corridor of the third floor, or got out of the castle to the forest but it was entertaining. Now he was sure what had called his attention of Ser Jozan, he could tell it was a strong man ... strong armor, so strong that no one in the castle could beat him, he knew by the reaction of the other armor and ghosts and pictures (except the fat ghost). Ace wanted to see how strong he was, he wanted to see how strong he could be in a real battle, one without rules and...

A warm feeling filled his body and knowing what came he dropped into the familiar feeling of sleep.

Mecha only saw the child fell asleep, at this point he was used, after a whole summer, and now he could test the sofa before the fire. After all, could sleep that night, even it were three hours.

-.-

_Author's Notes._

Ha, surely everyone thought that Ace would meet Fluffy! Well ... I'm afraid not, it's too soon and I will not use intermediate stories so fast. Ace has a long year to cause damage to the castle.

Ace meeting Fluffy will come later, not now, later.

And as we're on this. Notice: I will take a month off of Firefly to continue another project that I have (finally regained my inspiration to write my masterpiece) so Ace classes at Hogwarts begin within two months.

Greetings and a kiss to everyone! And see you in July; do not forget to leave review.


	7. B1 Chapter 7 - The Potions Master

Disclaimer: One Piece and Harry Potter does not belong to me, each belongs to their respective author. Only Mecha is mine.

Challenge by TheBlackSeaReaper.

Beta: TheBlackSeaReaper

_-.-The Potions Master_

"There, look."

"Where?"

"Next to the tall kid with the red hair."

"With the round-faced boy?"

"Did you see his face?"

"Did you see his scar?"

Whispers followed Ace from the moment he left the Great Hall the next day. He knew that many had noticed the inconsistency in the selection of the previous night. What was not expected was that the information would spread so fast. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at him, or doubled back to pass him in the corridors again, staring. Ace wished they wouldn't, not because it bothered him, but that only attracted the attention of those who didn't know, and it started to fell creepy.

Ace was sure that by the middle of the week, Ron and Neville would have not been aware of anything, or at least not Ron, Neville probably would not have said anything, but the night they returned to the common room after a tiring first day of school, one fifth-year student intercepted them near the Gryffindor common room, asking if it was true that Ace was Harry Potter, to which Ace simply ignored him and the fifth, with his little temper it look very easy to him to hold Ace by the shoulder to prevent him leaving. The truth is that nobody expected Ace to hold him by the wrists and send him flying over, only to fall back on the floor in front of a crowd of Gryffindors.

"The name is Ace D. Portgas, got it memorize?"

The news spread like if it were wildfire and the next day everyone knew about it, and the looks did not cease.

Fortunately Ace nocturnal excursions proved to be quite educational. Ace soon became the only first year that could reach any point of the castle without getting lost or asking for directions, except for the hospital wing, he had never been there, and it was not interesting, but knowing his way around was something that helped a lot, especially Neville and Ron. Who got lost the first morning just to get to the famous third floor corridor, unfortunately Ace was still sleeping on the common room.

Neville was a nice guy, a little ... well, maybe too insecure, according to Ace, but nothing that could not be fixed, on the other hand, Ron ... was not a bad guy, but completely lacked of tact, much like Luffy, completely straight but at least Luffy was funny and adorable, and a great ball of bouncing joy.

After the event with the fifth-year guy, the first thing Ron said was: "Are you really Harry Potter?" Ace glanced a nearly killing look "Don't overestimate my patience ..." and to everyone's surprise Ace fell on the floor.

All the common room panicked, no one wanted to approach, but everyone wanted to know what had happened. The general thought was that he was dead, until the arrival of twins with an ink pot and began to draw on his face.

"He's just asleep"

And that was not the last time they saw Ace falling asleep as if he had died. On Tuesday Professor Flitwick fell twice of his stack of books, the first when he took the roll call, and the second at the sound and vision of the apparently unconscious child.

"Is he okay? Nothing happened?" cried the little professor.

Some of those who had seen this before, the night before, made an effort not to laugh, while the rest looked from side to side.

"He is only asleep," answer Hermione Granger "he tends to fall asleep without warning"

Another class that suffered the Ace's sickness was History of Magic, easily the most boring class in all the school, which was taught by the ghost, Professor Binns.

Professor McGonagall was again different. Ace had been right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and cleaver, but truly amazing, in the first class she changed her desk into a pig and back again. Needless to say, all were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they were not going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time.

After taking a lot of complicated notes, of which Ace only comprehend half, they were given to each match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile.

Friday was an important day for Neville and Ron. They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once and without Ace's help.

"What have we got today?" Ace asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them … we'll be able to see if it's true."

"Wish McGonagall favored us," said Neville. Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before.

Just then, the mail arrived. Ace was used to this, with the news on the Grand Line, and a week here, but it had given a lot of student a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.

Mecha hadn't brought Ace anything so far. Not that he have anything to bring, he just came and stole anything that Ace was eating. This morning, however, he fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Ace's plate, before stealing a piece of toast from Ace's hand. Ace tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:

_Dear Ace,_

_I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three?_

_I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Mecha._

_Hagrid_

Ace borrowed Ron's quill, scribbled "Yes, please, see you later" on the back of the note, and sent Mecha off again, with toast still in his beak.

Potions proved to be a subject ... quite interesting, although at the end of the class he did not know what to think about the Professor Snape.

Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls. Even when Ace finds some of them pretty amazing.

Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Ace's name.

"Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new… celebrity."

Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands.

"Sorry, Sir" said Ace, he didn't like the tone of the man at all "But I'm afraid that the name is Ace D. Portgas"

"But in the list say Harry Potter" he said in a mocking way.

"But I hate that name"

Snape didn't say anything, finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word, like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death… if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

More silence followed this little speech. Ron exchanged a looks with Neville with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead. But Ace, eyes fixed on the man, could not help to repeat in his mind: "bottle fame, brew glory, stopper death"

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood? What the hell? Ace rice an eyebrow. He remember those ingredients, but what could happen if they create, he had no idea, probably something not so interesting. Neville glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was; Hermione's hand had shot into the air.

"I don't know" said Ace." And the name is Portgas"

Snape's lips curled into a sneer.

"Tut, tut ... fame clearly isn't everything."

He ignored Hermione's hand. Ace glare at him

"Answer the question and I will call you that. Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat.

Ace smiled that was easy, it was a useful ingredient, especially when you travel alone and in the wild.

"From the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons." It was a very useful fact.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.

"You said you would call me Portgas not Potter"

A few people laughed; Ace caught Seamus Finnegan's eye, and Seamus winked.

Snape, however, was not pleased.

"Just answer the question"

"No, because you don't keep promise"

"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Po-tter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death." And that's why it was not important: Why could someone who fall sleep without warning want a sleeping potion "A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter."

Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like. He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, was held by Ace on the table, while moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"

Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.

"Take him up to the hospital wing, Portgas" Snape spat at Ace. Ace would have protested but Neville was more important at the moment, so holding the desire of break Snape nose, Ace took Neville's arm, helped-carried the child out of the classroom.

After asking where was a hospital wing to an armor, Ace left the dark dungeons to the enlightened upper floors. Neville still sobbing in pain.

"Come on Neville, we're almost there."

"Sorry, I should have paid more attention."

"Come on surely that big nose also exploded a cauldron, for the record, my first potion end in similar term."

Neville smiled "Even so, sorry."

"Stop saying sorry, damn big nose, greasy hair, surely he could have solved this down there."

"But you listen?"

"What?" Inquired the young pirate

"He called you Portgas."

While Neville was attended by Madame Pomfrey, Ace thought about what happened, yeah, he did not deny that he disliked greasy hair, and he could not help thinking that the man hated him for some reason, not that it affect Ace, after been hated by everyone. But the big nose, had not hesitated one day to discard the name Potter, the other teachers had resisted the change, some had taken two classes to call him Portgas, the rest kept telling him Potter, why this big nose had begun to call Portgas so fast?

"Ehm... Ace" it was Neville "Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?"

-.-

At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.

When Ace knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "Back, Fang ... back."

Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.

"Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang."

He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.

There was only one room inside. Delicious hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.

"Make yourselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.

"This is Neville" started Ace "And this is Ron," Ace told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate.

"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles. I spent half my life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest."

Another point to the Twins.

The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Neville and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first -lessons. Ace was the only one who manage to eat the rock cake as if they were normal.

Ron was delighted to hear Hagrid call Fitch "that old git." he still remember his fist day, "An' as for that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her ... Fitch puts her up to it."

Neville told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ace, told Neville not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.

"But he also seemed to really hate Ace."

"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?"

Yet Ace couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quite meet their eyes when he said that.

"How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot ... great with animals."

While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Ace picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet:

_GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST_

_Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day. "But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokes goblin this afternoon._

Ace read the story again. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day, 31 July, curiously the same day that Ace had been in Gringotts. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for? Someone had beaten him to rob the bank, but what was there in the package of Hagrid, must be valuable enough where someone, apparently, had entered for it.

As Ace, Neville and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, Ace thought that none of the lessons he'd had so far had given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Hagrid had collected that package just in time, assuming that the stolen vault was the same they had visited. Where was it now? And more important what was in that package?

-.-

**Author's notes**

There is nothing better than watching the saga of Marineford again to get new ideas. The problem is that the emerging ideas are for the future, not what happens at the moment. This means I must hurry, to write the chapters that I wish to reach.

August 23, at last, I will have my degree exam, so that at last I can call myself Engineer, so ... I fear that the chapter of August will be skip it again and I will not return until September, maybe end of August, after that, hopefully, I can return to the routine of upload a new chapter every month.

Thank you very much to all for their review; you have no idea of the excitement that gives me every time I see one in my Inbox.


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